Friday.

If I make it through today......... I will be headed to Raleigh for a wedding. Yay woo. Please sense my extreme enthusiasm. I'm dreading it like the plague. That is a very long drive to go to a wedding for people that I do not know. But it is my wifely duty, I suppose.
My friends at home will be at my class reunion while I am at the wedding. You couldn't have paid me to go to that. Yes. I am one of those people who don't do class reunions. Fuss at me. I don't care. I'm not going. My girl Missy said the other day that I knew in kindergarten that I wasn't going to my class reunion. She's pretty much right.

Just as a side note here....... people are a pain in the ass. I have dealt with stupidity and arrogance and general bulls*!t all week here at the shop. Like I said......................... if I make it through today.

Love to you all. Have a great weekend.
Be good. Be safe. Don't be a pain in the ass. ;)
~Jo~

Slow me down.

I've been feeling kind of put out this week. This leads to a desire to seek out comforting things. Things that make me feel relaxed and safe. Deep warm colors, a comfy place to sit, fresh air.

I have always been drawn to symmetrical, classic, formal looking architecture. I like for doors to be centered on a building and windows to match in size and placement. Columns, mouldings, trim and rock work. All these elements of solidity really ground a structure, making it feel stable and secure. I don't know about you, but stability and security are two things that I hope for in my own home.
I am absolutely loving these two images from House and Home. Exactly the kind of place that I could imagine curling up with a blanket and just sitting. Nothing else. Just sitting. Tell me what you find comforting.

Busy Busy Busy

Very busy around here. I have no ring for you today. Instead, I give you this........... An adorable little dress from a brand new Etsy shop, hkclothescoms. And a price that can't be beat.

~Love~

Wake me up. I'm still sleeping.

Two great weekends in a row! How does that happen? My girl, Missy, just brought me a pile of pictures that she finally had developed. I soooo wish I had a working scanner so I could share some with you. Oh, well. Here's what I've been up to.
* drag strip Thursday. * fireworks Friday. * drag strip and fireworks Saturday. * sleep, sleep, sleep on Sunday. Watched Yes Man, which was hilarious.

I'm still tired. How about you?

*photo from Lookbook.

She sells seashells.

Hello, all you darlings. We are right now entering the 4th of July weekend. I wish you all a happy holiday weekend. And for my Aussie girls, I wish you a happy non-holiday weekend.
I thought I would share some pics of my seashell collection with you. Collecting seashells is a very pointless endeavor. But when I lay them all out and look at the pretty colors and shapes, I am reminded of how great my God is.

* how amazing is that? teeny tiny.

* old and weathered, yet still so beautiful.

* what perfection and design.


I actually have more shells than are pictured. I pick up lots with natural holes in them with the intention of making some mermaid worthy jewelry. And I have tons that are so small that I keep them in film canisters so they don't get lost. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoy the collection. Now, go watch fireworks!

XOXO ~ Jo

That strange feeling in my stomach.

Something interesting is going on here. The temperature dropped. The sky got brighter. The shadows got deeper. It looks and feels very much like early fall. We haven't even had much of a summer yet. I adore fall, but this is leaving me with a funny feeling in my stomach. Like I slept through the party or something. Anyway, when I first saw the photo above, I got that same feeling. The first thing that caught my eye was the sunlight on her hair. That warm glow. And then how the air looks so clean. I know that sounds silly, but doesn't it look like you could just take a nice deep breath of crisp, clean air and feel that lovely breeze on your face? Something about this photo feels so special. Do you have any photos like that? Please share.

*this amazingly beautiful photo that gives me butterflies in my stomach is from Lookbook. I love you, Lookbook. You rock my world.

Weekly Ring Envy

A totally affordable (even by my standards) edition of Ring Envy this week. I was feeling the need for something colorful, bright, happy..... and maybe just a tad bit hippie.
So, without further ado, I give you the Bouquet of Flowers ring by Kira Ferrer. Bright colors. Happy flowers. Mixy-matchiness. What more could a summertime flower child want? And, here's the good part, Only $85.00! That's a bargain for handcrafted genius.

Now, you need something equally groovy to wear with that ring. This Paisley Handkerchief Hem Top from Daytrip is perfect and you can get it for only $26.00 from Buckle. How cool is that? Some ripped up jeans and a pair of Jerusalem cruisers and you're set.